Windshield fixing structure for reducing dead visibility angle produced by front pillar

ABSTRACT

A windshield fixing structure of a passenger car capable of assuring a high safety by preventing a dead angle obstructing a visibility from being produced in the slanting forward direction of a driver which comprises: a windshield; front pillars; and side panels, wherein the windshield is formed of a front part and both side parts and formed in a plate of substantially channel shape in cross section bent to a substantially right angle, each of the front pillars is provided on a body side-face part on the side of a steering wheel in a substantially vertical direction from the side panel, and the vertical width of each of the side panels is gradually reduced from the portion of the windshield substantially just below a bend of the substantially right angle to the portion of the windshield where the front pillar is provided vertically.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a windshield fixing structure forfixing both side ends of a windshield to front pillars of a body. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to a windshield fixingstructure for reducing a dead visibility angle in which a windshield forobstructing the cabin front of a passenger car or the like has both sideparts substantially parallel with side faces of the body and is fixed atboth side parts to the front pillars positioned backwardly receded fromthe body.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a conventional windshield fixing structure of a body wherein bothside ends of a windshield were fixed respectively to a pair of frontpillars, the front pillars were disposed in a slanting forward directionof a steering wheel, which caused an increase of a dead angle of adriver due to obstruction of a visibility in the slanting forwarddirection of the driver.

FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 respectively show a windshield fixing structure 2 of aconventional body. FIG. 8 is a sectional diagram in a horizontaldirection of a windshield fixing structure 2 shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, andshows alignment among a windshield 4, front pillars 6, a steering wheel8, and a driver 10. The slanting forward direction of a front pillar 6is a dead angle C of visibility when seeing from the driver 10.

More particularly, in the windshield fixing structure 2, a pair of frontpillars 6 for fixing a windshield 4 of a body 1 are positioned in asubstantially slanting forward direction of the driver 10 sitting on thedriver seat. This obstructs the visibility of the driver 10 in theslanting forward direction, and the range shown in FIG. 8 is a deadangle C.

In view of these circumstances, an enlargement of forward visibility bywidening the area of a windshield has been suggested. For instance, youcan see this on page 24 of Automotive Engineering Directory Volume 13titled “Body of a passenger car.” In this aspect, however, it isimpossible to prevent front pillars from producing a dead angleobstructing visibility in a slanting forward direction because the frontpillars are disposed at the corners of window sides. Further, theJapanese Patent Publication No. 60-99715 discloses a windshield bent atthe corners of window sides. In this aspect, it is also impossible toprevent a dead angle obstructing visibility from being produced becausefront pillars are disposed at the corners of the window sides.

Accordingly, each of side panels 40 can be reinforced by increasing thewidth of an end part 42 of the side panel 40 like a dotted line A, butit is not preferable to increase the width of the end part 42 due to anextreme decrease of the area of a door 54. On the other hand, when thewidth of the end part 42 of the side panel 40 is decreased like a dottedline B, as mentioned above, there may be fear that the end part 42 ofthe side panel 40 does not have sufficient strength to support a loadimposed from a roof of the body through the windshield 24 and the frontpillars 26.

In addition, the applicant of the present invention suggested a deviceshown in the Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-17616. In thisdevice, a windshield bent at the corners of window sides is disclosed asin the case mentioned above, but no specific structure of side panels(portions to support front pillars) to support a load imposed from aroof of the body has been disclosed in the publication. In other words,the side panels require strength to sustain the load imposed from theroof of the body. It is, however, mechanically preferable to dispose theside panels substantially just below the front pillars when the frontpillars are positioned at the corners of the window sides. The problemwith structure is that the size of a front door has to be as small as itmay cause inconvenience when getting on or off the front seat to securespace to provide side panels.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a windshield fixingstructure for solving the above-mentioned problem and reducing a deadvisibility angle of a driver produced by front pillars as well assecuring sufficient space for getting on or off the front seat.

A windshield fixing structure of a body for reducing a dead visibilityangle produced by front pillars with both side ends of a windshieldrespectively fixed using front pillars according to the presentinvention which comprises: a windshield; front pillars; and side panels,wherein the windshield is formed of a front part and both side partscontinued to the front part substantially parallel with the side face ofthe body and formed in a plate of substantially channel shape in crosssection bent to a substantially right angle, each of the front pillarsis provided on a body side-face part on the side of a steering wheel ina substantially vertical direction from the side panel, and the verticalwidth of each of the side panels is gradually reduced from the portionof the windshield substantially just below a bend of the substantiallyright angle to the portion of the windshield where the front pillarextends upward.

In the windshield fixing structure for reducing a dead visibility angleproduced by front pillars according to the present invention, the frontpillars supported by the side panels extend upward in a substantiallyvertical position when seeing the body from the side.

In this specification, the major portion of the windshield crosses thebody and both side parts having substantially a triangle side view shapealong the side of the body respectively extend from the both side endsof this major portion.

Furthermore, the plate of substantially channel shape in cross sectionis of a cross-sectional shape when cutting a major portion and both sideends of the windshield at a horizontal plane.

In addition, a side panel is used as a support in a shape along the sideof the body disposed at an opening for getting on or off the driver'sseat or the front seat, that is, an opening surrounded by a roof drip, afront pillar, a center pillar, and a side sill in all directions byobstructing a part of this opening.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an essential part perspective view showing a preferredembodiment of a windshield fixing structure for reducing a deadvisibility angle produced by front pillars according to the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 is a cutaway view of an essential part of the windshield fixingstructure for reducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillarsaccording to the present invention shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional diagram showing the windshield fixingstructure for reducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillarsshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of a vehicle showing another embodiment of awindshield fixing structure for reducing a dead visibility angleproduced by front pillars according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a vehicle showing still another embodiment ofthe windshield fixing structure for reducing a dead visibility angleproduced by front pillars according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an essential part perspective view showing an embodiment of aconventional windshield fixing structure.

FIG. 7 is a cutaway view of an essential part of the windshield fixingstructure for reducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillarsshown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a transverse sectional view of the windshield fixing structureshown in FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of a windshield fixing structure for reducing adead visibility angle produced by front pillars according to the presentinvention will now be described in detail on the basis of theaccompanying drawings.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, a windshield fixing structure 22 for reducing a deadvisibility angle produced by front pillars of the present invention usedfor a body 11 comprises: a windshield 24; and a pair of front pillars 26for fixing the windshield 24. The windshield 24 is a plate-like glassformed of a front part 30 having a vertical face or a having a faceslanting in a vertical direction as an essential part and both sideparts 32 continued to the front part 30 and substantially parallel withthe side of the body 11. More particularly, the windshield 24respectively extends both side ends 34 along the side of the body 11from the both side parts 32.

The front part 30 intersects a bonnet of the body 11 or the like at theheight shown by a virtual line a and the lower end of the front part 30buries downward the bonnet or the like. Each of the both side parts 32has a substantially triangle shape when seeing from the side along theside face 36 of the body 11. A substantial triangle is a shape in whichthree sides are surrounded by an edge line b between the front part 30and one of the both side parts 32, the front pillar 26, and the sidepanel 40.

It is preferable for the front part 30 to slant in a vertical directionbecause of the enlargement of forward visibility. More specifically,this windshield 24 is formed in a plate of substantially channel shapein cross section bent to a substantially right angle. The both side ends34 of the windshield 24 are respectively fixed to the front pillars 26.As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, each of the front pillars 26 is provided onthe side face 36 of the body on the side of a steering wheel 28 in asubstantially vertical direction from the side panel 40 when the body 11is seen from the side. The front pillar 26 may slant in a crossdirection or may slant in a direction along the side face 36 of the body11, in other words, the front pillar 26 may slant in a verticaldirection.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view in a horizontal direction of thewindshield fixing structure 22 for reducing a dead visibility angleproduced by front pillars shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 shows alignmentamong the windshield 24, front pillars 26, a steering wheel 28, and adriver 10. Since the direction of the front pillars 26 is substantiallyjust parallel when seeing from the driver, there are no dead anglesbecause of no obstruction in a slanting forward direction. The frontpart 30 of the windshield 24 is substantially orthogonal to the sideparts 32 when seeing from a cross section in a horizontal direction likeFIG. 3.

Further, in the windshield fixing structure 22 for reducing a deadvisibility angle produced by front pillars shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, theside panel 40 is a support in a shape along the side face 36 of the body11 provided on an opening 62 exclusively used for getting on or off thedriver's seat or the front seat, that is, an opening surrounded by aroof drip 59, the front pillar 26, a center pillar 58, and a side sill60 with a part of this blocked in all directions.

An end part 42 of the side panel 40 gets narrower where the front pillar26 extends upward. It is, therefore, preferable to secure sufficientstrength by reinforcing the side panel 40 so that the side panel 40 cansustain a load imposed from a roof 61 of the body 11 through thewindshield 24 and front pillar 26.

As has been described so far, the side panel 40 is reinforced byincreasing the width of the end part 42 of the side panel 40 like a dotline A. That is, however, not preferable because the area of a door 54is extremely reduced by the increasing of the width of the end part 42.Alternatively, if the width of the end part 42 of the side panel 40 isreduced like a dot line B, as described above, the end part 42 of theside panel 40 might not have enough strength to support a load imposedfrom the roof of the body through the windshield 24 and the front pillar26.

For the windshield fixing structure 22 for reducing a dead visibilityangle produced by front pillars according to the present invention, thisproblem has been solved by increasing the width of the end part 42 ofthe side panel 40 at the portion where a side panel unit 45 is connectedto and decreasing the width at an end 44 connected to the front pillar26. More specifically, in the windshield fixing structure 22 forreducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillars according tothe present invention, the vertical width of the side panel 40 isgradually reduced from a bend 48 of the windshield 24 bent to asubstantially right angle, that is, from a portion 50 of the windshield24 substantially just below the position an edge line b is formed to theend part 42 where the front pillar 26 extends upward.

This enables to sufficiently improve the strength of the end part 42 ofthe side panel 40 so that the end part 42 of the side panel 40 cansupport the load imposed from the roof 61 of the body 11 through thewindshield 24 and the front pillars 26. That is because deformation ofthe body 11 is minimized by the securing of high rigidity in the body11. In addition, there is an advantage of not causing any inconveniencewhen getting on or off the driver's seat or the front seat because thearea of the opening 62 for getting on or off the driver's seat or thefront seat is not restricted and sufficient area of the door 54 can besecured regardless of the side panel 40 provided.

The preferred embodiments of the windshield fixing structure forreducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillars according tothe present invention have been described so far on the basis of FIGS. 1to 3, but the present invention is not limited to the above-mentionedembodiments. For example, FIG. 4 is a side view of a vehicle showinganother embodiment of the present invention and FIG. 5 is a side view ofa vehicle showing still another embodiment of the present invention. Asshown in FIG. 4, the entire front pillar 26 may be in a slantingposition so that the upper end may lean to the backward of the body 11.Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the vicinity of the lower end of thefront pillar 26 is in a slanting position as well as the above, and onlythe vicinity of the upper end of the front pillar 26 may be in a shapewhich extends in a substantially vertical direction by longitudinallyflexing 260 in midway of the front pillar 26.

The technical scope of the present invention includes any and allmodifications, variations or equivalent arrangements which may occur tothose skilled in the art should be considered to be within the scope ofthe invention. Further, the structure of the invention which comprisesthe present invention may be implemented in a preferred embodimentreplaced by other technology within the scope of the action or effectsof the present invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The windshield fixing structure of the present invention is capable offixing both side parts of a windshield which obstruct the front cabin ofa passenger car or the like to front pillars positioned backwardlyreceded from the body. This does not produce a dead visibility angleobstructing a visibility in a slanting forward direction of the driverand enables to secure sufficient area of a front door while havingenough strength on the end parts of side panels to support thewindshield and the front pillars. Accordingly, it is possible to assurea high safety when running by the application of the present inventionto passenger cars or the like.

There has thus been shown and described a novel windshield fixingstructure for reducing a dead visibility angle produced by front pillarswhich fulfills all the objects and advantages sought therefor. Manychanges, modifications, variations, combinations and other uses andapplications of the subject invention will, however, become apparent tothose skilled in the art after considering this specification and theaccompanying drawings which disclose the preferred embodiments thereof.All changes, modifications, variations and other uses and applicationswhich do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present inventionare deemed to be covered by the invention, which is to be limited onlyby the claims which follow.

1. A windshield fixing structure for fixing a windshield to anautomobile body having side-face parts on both sides of a steeringwheel, comprising: a windshield having a front-forming part andside-forming parts continued to the front-forming part substantiallyparallel with the side-face parts on both sides of the body and formedin a plate of substantially channel shape in cross section bent to asubstantially right angle; side panels provided on both sides of theside-face parts of the body; and front pillars which respectively extendupward in a substantially vertical direction from the side panels,wherein each of said side-forming parts on both sides of the windshieldis fixed at each of said side-face parts on both sides of the body withthe front pillars, and the vertical width each of said side panels isgradually reduced from a portion of the side panel substantially justbelow the bend of the substantially right angle to a portion of the sidepanel on which each of the front pillars extends upward to reduce a deadvisibility angle produced by the front pillars.
 2. The windshield fixingstructure according to claim 1, wherein said front pillars supported bysaid side panels extend upward in a substantially vertical position whenviewing the body from a side.